UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA      AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMENT    STATION 
COLLEGE   OF   AGRICULTURE  BENJ    'DE  WHEELER'  '»■•>"«« 

THOMAS    FORSYTH     HUNT,    DEAN  AN  D   DlR  ECTOR 
BERKELEY  H.    E.    VAN    NORMAN,    vice-Director    and    Dean 

University  Farm   School 


CIRCULAR  No.  87 

(Be vised  October,  1917) 

ALFALFA 

By  WAREEN  T.  CLARKE 


This  wonderful  forage  plant  was  introduced  into  this  state  some 
time  between  the  years  1851  and  1854,  and  has  not  only  become,  in 
the  time  that  has  elapsed  since  its  introduction,  the  standard  forage 
plant  in  California,  but  it  has  also  become  known  and  appreciated 
far  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  state.  The  annual  value  of  the 
crop  in  California  approximates  some  thirty-five  millions  of  dollars 
now,  and  the  acreage  devoted  to  its  culture  is  constantly  being  in- 
creased. In  view  of  these  facts,  and  recognizing  the  fact  that  concise 
information  is  demanded  by  both  old  and  new  planters,  the  following 
summary  of  practices  is  presented. 

SOIL  EEQUIEEMENTS 

Alfalfa  is  a  deep  feeding  plant,  sending  its  long  tap  roots  far  down 
into  the  soil  for  nutriment.  It  has  been  known  to  penetrate  to  the 
depth  of  twelve  feet  in  a  single  season,  and  the  roots  of  exceptionally 
deep  rooted  plants  have  been  traced  to  the  depth  of  sixty-five  feet. 
This  deep  feeding  character  of  the  plant  should  be  noted,  and,  so 
far  as  possible,  the  fact  should  be  taken  into  consideration  by  the 
intending  planter. 

The  soils  in  which  free  water  is  found  close  to  the  surface  should 
be  avoided.  Under  these  conditions  the  deep  root  is  likely  to  decay, 
and  the  plant  will  suffer,  if  it  does  not  die.  A  deep,  well-drained, 
moderately  heavy  loam  soil,  free  from  hard  pan,  with  no  standing 
water  closer  than  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  is  to  be  preferred  to  all 
others.      Our  best  alfalfa  fields  are  on  such  soils  as  these. 

While  the  alfalfa  plant  prefers  a  deep,  well  drained,  moderately 
heavy  soil,  it  readily  adapts  itself  to  a  great  variety  of  soils,  and 
some  very  profitable  alfalfa  fields  are  to  be  found  on  practically  all 


types  of  California  soils.  However,  it  will  not  remain  profitable  as 
long  upon  the  shallow  soils  as  it  will  upon  the  deeper  soils.  On  soils 
that  are  underlaid  with  hardpan  or  have  a  water-table  at  a  depth  of 
about  three  feet,  alfalfa  will  not  remain  profitable  more  than  about 
five  years,  whereas,  if  given  proper  care,  it  will  last  from  twenty  to 
thirty  years  upon  deep,  well-drained  soil.  In  general,  it  may  be 
said  that  the  deeper  the  soil,  the  longer  the  alfalfa  will  remain  in 
good  condition. 

CLIMATIC  KEQUIBEMENTS 
The  first  alfalfa  seed  brought  into  California  came,  no  doubt,  from 
Chili.  Planted  in  the  great  inland  valleys  of  the  state,  its  production 
here  was  begun  under  climatic  conditions  very  similar  to  those  of  the 
plant's  native  habitat.  Soon,  however,  it  was  found  to  be  adaptable 
to  conditions  very  different  from  those  found  in  the  great  valleys, 
and  it  is  now  a  staple  crop  throughout  the  entire  state.  Alfalfa, 
however,  seems  to  do  best  away  from  the  immediate  influence  of  coast 
conditions.  For  its  growth  and  production,  a  long,  hot  growing 
season  is  desirable,  and  the  longer  this  growing  season  is,  if  other 
conditions  are  favorable,  the  greater  will  be  the  number  of  crops  per 
year,  and  the  greater  will  be  the  yield.  This  optimum  of  climatic 
conditions  then  should  be  sought  by  the  intending  grower.  Entirely 
satisfactory  plantations  of  certain  varieties  of  alfalfa  are  to  be  found, 
nevertheless,  in  regions  of  this  state  in  which  the  growing  season  is 
short.  We  are  therefore  justified  in  saying  that  the  adaptability  of 
the  plant  allows  of  its  use  under  a  great  variety  of  climatic  conditions. 

WATEE  BEQUIBEMENTS 
Under  California  conditions  of  climate  and  soil,  the  intending 
planter  of  alfalfa  should  have  irrigation  water  at  his  command.  In 
general,  this  command  of  water  may  be  considered  as  an  essential 
for  success.  It  is  true  that  many  alfalfa  fields  are  to  be  found  in 
this  state  where  no  facilities  for  irrigation  exist,  yet  good  crops  are 
harvested.  Still,  the  success  of  these  non-irrigated  fields  is  not  so 
great  as  it  would  be  were  water  available  when  needed.  Both  pocket 
gophers  and  squirrels  are  a  pest  in  alfalfa  fields,  and  the  most 
effective  way  to  destroy  them  is  by  drowning.  If  the  general  soil 
conditions  do  not  seem  to  demand  the  use  of  irrigation  water  for  the 
success  of  the  crop,  the  possibility  of  drowning  out  these  pests  must 
be  considered. 


PREPARATION  OF  THE  LAND 

Most  of  the  land  that  is  being  seeded  to  alfalfa  in  this  state,  has 
been  used  previously  either  for  pasture  or  grain  growing  purposes. 
In  either  case,  but  more  especially  in  the  latter,  the  physical  condition 
of  the  soil  is  bad.  Almost  invariably  we  find  in  this  land,  at  a  depth 
of  a  few  inches,  what  is  commonly  known  as  ''plow  sole"  or  "culti- 
vation hard  pan. ' '  This  is  in  no  wise  to  be  considered  as  a  true  hard 
pan,  but  is,  more  correctly  speaking,  a  compaction  of  the  finer  particles 
from  the  upper  stratum  of  the  soil  into  a  very  firm,  impervious  layer 
of  soil  just  beneath  the  cultivated  surface. 

This  subsoil  must  be  broken  up  before  the  air,  water,  and  plant 
roots  can  penetrate  to  the  deeper  portions  of  the  soil.  The  first  move, 
then,  in  preparing  land  for  alfalfa,  is  to  plow  it  deeply,  so  as  to  fully 
break  up  the  subsoil.  This  deep  plowing  should  be  done  before  the 
land  is  leveled,  otherwise  in  the  process  of  leveling,  the  hard  subsoil 
in  the  lower  places  of  the  field  will  be  covered  so  deeply  that  it  will 
be  impossible  to  break  it  up  later.  In  many  cases  that  we  have  studied 
the  plowing  has  been  done  after  leveling,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the 
lower  places  were  filled  in  with  earth  from  the  high  places,  and  the 
subsoil  was  not  broken  up.  The  result  has  been  that  in  a  short  time 
— a  year  or  two — the  field  presented  a  spotted  appearance  and  the 
alfalfa  failed  to  produce  in  the  places  where  the  hard  subsoil  had  not 
been  broken. 

The  land  should  be  well  leveled  so  that  it  can  be  irrigated  in  the 
most  economical  way,  and  so  that  the  water  can  be  distributed  uni- 
formly over  the  field.  To  do  this  the  services  of  a  surveyor  should 
be  secured  to  determine  the  levels.  If  the  square  check  system  of 
irrigation  is  to  be  used,  the  checks  should  be  of  such  a  size  as  will 
permit  of  the  high  point  being  covered  with  water  to  a  depth  of  three 
inches  at  least,  with  a  levee  system  of  not  more  than  sixteen  inches 
high  at  its  highest  point.  The  levees  should  be  made  broad  and  low, 
so  that  the  various  implements,  mowing  machines,  rakes,  wagons,  etc., 
may  be  used  over  the  field  as  a  whole,  without  reference  to  the  levees. 
When  the  levees  are  not  at  right  angle  or  parallel  with  the  lay  of  the 
field  they  are  more  difficult  to  mow  and. rake  over,  hence  contour, 
irregular  levees  should  be  avoided  so  far  as  possible.  Occasionally 
the  slope  of  the  land  may  be  such  that  contour  lines  will  have  to  be 
used.      If  this  is  the  case  and  the  land  is  rather  heaw  so  that  it  will 


not  wash  readily,  the  water  can  be  turned  directly  from  one  check  to 
the  other  through  the  border  without  constructing  lateral  ditches. 
This  permits  of  a  very  cheap  system  of  leveling  and  checking.  If 
the  soil  is  sandy  it  will  not  stand  the  washing,  and  lateral  ditches  for 
carrying  the  water  must  be  constructed  as  with  other  systems  of  check- 
ing. In  the  very  heavy  soils  where  the  water  percolates  downward 
very  slowly,  the  contour  system  is  to  be  recommended,  for  with  this 
system  it  is  possible  to  hold  the  water  within  every  given  check  long 
enough  to  force  deep  percolation.  It  may  then  be  drained  into  the 
next  lower  check  before  it  has  stood  long  enough  to  kill  the  alfalfa. 

In  certain  cases "  it  may  be  desirable  to  use  the  strip  system 
of  checking.  This  system  can  be  used  to  advantage  where  the  soil 
is  moderately  heavj^  and  where  the  slope  is  not  too  abrupt.  If  this 
system  of  checking  is  used  on  the  sandier  soils,  the  slope  should  be 
as  great  as  possible  and  yet  not  great  enough  to  allow  excessive  wash- 
ing. The  strips  should  range  from  thirty  to  seventy-five  feet  in 
width,  and  on  the  heavier  soils  should  range  from  one-eighth  to  one- 
fourth  of  a  mile  in  length ;  on  the  sandier  soils  the  length  should  range 
from  one-eighth  to  one-sixteenth  of  a  mile.  Regardless  of  the  system 
of  checking,  the  land  should  always  be  plowed  and  irrigated  and  then 
re-leveled  with  a  scraper  before  seeding.  Each  particular  piece  of 
land  presents  its  own  problem  regarding  the  best  system  of  checking 
and  it  is  well  for  the  inexperienced  planter  to  call  upon  his  farm 
advisor  or  upon  the  agricultural  department  of  the  University  of 
California,  Berkeley,  for  detailed  advice  regarding  the  system  best 
adapted  to  his  soil  and  water  conditions  before  spending  much  money 
in  checking  his  land. 

While  deep  plowing  is  essential  in  the  proper  preparation  of  land 
for  alfalfa  planting,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  alfalfa  seed 
demands  a  firm  seed  bed  for  its  best  success.  Therefore,  after  the 
land  has  been  deeply  plowed,  leveled  and  checked  and  then  replowed, 
it  should  be  gone  over  carefully  with  some  sort  of  compacter.  An 
ordinary  roller  followed  by  a  light  harrow  may  be  used.  The  disk 
cultivator,  heavily  weighted,  with  the  bar  set  straight  has  been  suc- 
cessfully used  as  a  sub-surface  packer.  Any  implement  that  will 
compact  the  subsurface  somewhat  and  still  leave  the  surface  fairly 
loose  may  be  used. 


SEEDING  AND  VAEIETIES 

The  first  question  that  will  probably  arise  in  the  mind  of  the 
intending  planter  when  it  comes  to  the  choice  of  seed,  will  be  as  to 
the  best  variety  of  alfalfa  to  plant.  Studies  of  this  question  indicate 
that  for  the  general  conditions  found  in  California,  the  Chilian  alfalfa 
is  the  most  satisfactory  and  for  ordinary  plantings  in  our  "great 
valleys"  throughout  the  north  and  south  where  irrigation  is  to  be 
practiced,  this  variety  will  probably  give  the  best  results. 

In  localities  where  irrigation  is  impossible,  the  Turkestan  variety 
will  be  the  most  satisfactory.  This  is  a  very  hardy  variety  and  will 
stand  cold  weather  conditions  better  and  also  produce  a  crop  on  less 
water  than  will  the  Chilian  variety.  The  Turkestan  alfalfa  stays 
dormant  much  later  in  the  spring  and  also  goes  dormant  earlier  in 
the  fall  than  most  other  varieties.  The  hay  of  the  Turkestan  alfalfa 
as  produced  in  California  is  not  as  fine  and  clean  as  the  hay  of  the 
Chilian  alfalfa  and  it  is  not  to  be  recommended  for  irrigated  lands 
in  the  large  interior  valleys. 

Another  variety  of  alfalfa  known  as  the  Arabian  is  desirable  for 
certain  special  purposes.  It  is  a  "short  life"  perennial  and  is  not 
recommended  except  in  short  rotation  or  for  interplantings  in 
orchards  where  the  stand  is  only  desired  for  two  or  three  years. 

Another  variety  which  has  met  with  considerable  favor  during 
the  past  few  years  is  the  Peruvian.  It  is  a  rather  tall,  rank  growing 
variety  which  will,  under  most  conditions,  produce  a  heavier  yield 
than  the  common  Chilian.  It  has  an  erect  habit  of  growth  and  starts 
growing  earlier  in  the  spring  and  continues  later  in  the  fall  than  most 
varieties.  It  has  a  tendency  to  become  a  little  coarse  and  produce  an 
inferior  quality  of  hay,  but  this  can  be  mostly  overcome  by  planting  it 
rather  thickly  and  exercising  care  not  to  allow  it  to  stand  too  long- 
before  cutting. 

The  Grimm  alfalfa  is  another  variety  that  is  grown  to  advantage 
in  some  localities.  It  has  a  branching  root  system  which  makes  it 
better  adapted  than  other  varieties  to  wet,  shallow  soils.  It  is  also 
very  hardy  and  this,  together  with  its  branching  root  system  makes 
it  well  adapted  to  some  of  the  mountainous  valleys  of  this  state  which 
have  a  water-table  comparatively  near  the  surface. 

Many  other  varieties  of  alfalfa  have  been  tested  in  California, 
but  so  far  the  choice  seems  to  be  between  the  above-named  varieties. 


6 

Good,  clean,  vigorous  seed  of  anjT  variety  is  necessary  to  secure  a 
good  stand.  The  source  of  this  seed,  that  is;  the  locality  where  grown, 
should  be  known  by  the  planter  so  that  its  desirability  may  be,  in  part 
at  least,  determined.  The  intending  planter  can  have  his  seed  tested 
as  to  purity  and  germination,  by  sending  a  four-ounce  sample  to  the 
Experiment*  Station,  Berkeley,  California.  This  service  is  done 
gratis  and  every  grower  should  take  advantage  of  it  so  that  he  may 
be  sure  of  using  seed  that  will  grow,  and  be  free  from  dodder  and 
other  noxious  weeds.  The  amount  of  seed  used  per  acre  varies  a  great 
deal  with  different  planters,  but  careful  studies  of  the  question  indi- 
cate that  if  a  clean,  vigorous  seed  is  put  into  a  good  seed  bed,  from 
12!/2  to  15  pounds  per  acre  is  ample.  Using  more  of  such  seed  under 
such  conditions  would  mean  waste. 

This  seed  should,  for  best  results,  be  drilled  into  a  well-prepared 
seed-bed  and  under  most  conditions  no  nurse  crop  used.  Some 
planters  use  a  nurse  crop  of  some  cereal,  but  usually  the  crop  does 
more  harm  to  the  young  alfalfa  plants  by  robbing  them  of  moisture, 
than  it  does  good  in  fancied  protection.  The  nurse  crop  is  recom- 
mended only  when  fall  seeding  is  practiced  under  conditions  where 
weed  growth  is  bad,  or  where  the  land  is  sand}r  and  subject  to  blowing. 
In  the  former  case  it  will  help  keep  down  the  weeds  and  in  the  latter 
it  will  help  hold  the  sand. 

The  time  of  planting  will  depend  altogether  upon  the  frost  con- 
ditions in  the  locality  where  the  planting  is  to  be  done.  The  fact 
should  be  noted,  that  the  alfalfa  plant,  when  in  the  seed  leaf  stage,  is 
easily  killed  by  frost.  After  it  has  passed  the  seed  leaf  stage,  it  is 
much  more  resistant  to  frost.  If,  then,  frosts  are  likel}T  to  occur 
in  the  regions  where  the  plantings  are  being  made  in  the  fall,  seeding 
should  be  postponed  until  spring,  when  danger  of  cold  weather  is 
over.  In  general,  the  best  results  will  probably  be  secured  by  sowing 
as  early  as  possible  in  the  spring  to  avoid  frosts. 

INOCULATION 
It  is  a  well  recognized  fact  that,  for  full  success  in  growing  alfalfa^ 
the  plants  must  be  supplied  with  nitrogen  gathering  bacteria.  These 
minute  organisms,  so  essential  to  the  proper  growth  of  this  plant,  are 
usually  present  in  our  California  soils,  and  as  a  general  thing  artificial 
inoculation  is  not  necessary  except  where  new  plantings  are  at  some 
distance  from  older  fields.     Pure  cultures  of  bacteria  may  be  obtained 


on  the  market  for  the  purpose,  and  under  some  conditions  it  may  be 
desirable  to  use  these.  Generally,  however,  a  perfect  inoculation  can 
be  obtained  by  broadcasting  one  or  two  hundred  pounds  of  soil,  from 
some  well-growing'  alfalfa  field,  over  each  acre  of  the  new  field.  This 
inoculated  soil  should  be  well  harrowed  into  the  land  before  seeding. 
The  process  is  not  difficult  and  requires  no  technical  skill. 

Inoculation  can  also  be  satisfactorily  accomplished  by  what  is 
known  as  the  "soil  suspension"  method.  A  quantity  of  soil  is  taken 
from  some  field  where  the  alfalfa  is  growing  well,  and  the  soil  con- 
tains the  desired  bacteria.  This  is  indicated  by  the  nodules  which 
can  be  found  upon  the  roots  of  the  growing  plant.  To  a  given  volume 
of  soil  add  two  or  three  volumes  of  water.  This  is  stirred  vigorously 
several  times  during  one  day,  and  then  the  earth  is  allowed  to  settle. 
The  alfalfa  seed  is  then  dipped  in  this  water,  which  now  carries  the 
bacteria,  after  which  it  is  placed  in  the  shade  and  dried  enough  so 
that  it  separates  readily,  then  planted  immediately.  This  method 
has  the  advantage  of  being  cheap,  easy  and  effective.  It  is  the  part 
of  wisdom  for  the  planter  of  alfalfa  to  insure  the  presence  of  the 
necessary  bacteria. 

IKEIGATION 

It  has  been  previously  pointed  out  that  no  definite  rule  can  be  laid 
down  regarding  the  amount  of  water  to  use  in  growing  alfalfa.  In 
general,  however,  experience  indicates  that  frequent  shallow  irriga- 
tions are  to  be  preferred  to  occasional  heavy  floodings.  In  the 
writer's  experience  and  observation  an  irrigation  of  four  or  five  acre 
inches,  ten  days  before  cutting,  brings  the  best  results  on  most  soils. 
Irrigating  at  this  time  has  a  tendency  to  overcome  leaf  shedding,  and 
it  should  be  remembered  that  60  per  cent  of  the  value  of  the  alfalfa 
is  in  the  leafage.  It  will  also  cause  new  growth  to  start  up  from  the 
crown  as  soon  as  the  crop  is  cut,  and  in  this  way  the  new  crop  will  be 
growing  while  the  previous  crop  is  being  harvested.  On  heavy  soils 
irrigation  before  cutting  will  also  have  a  tendency  to  keep  the  soil 
in  better  physical  condition  as  it  prevents  the  sun  from  shining 
directly  upon  the  wet  earth,  thus  reducing  the  tendency  to  bake  and 
crack. 

It  is  very  much  to  the  growers'  advantage  to  keep  his  alfalfa 
growing  steadily  throughout  the  growing  season,  and  to  do  this  it  may 
be  necessary  on  some  soils  to  irrigate  lightly  twice  between  cuttings. 


«C  U     CO      <M      00 


S3 

W 

> 

o 

ti 

<$ 

S3 

< 

Q 

V 

h 

<J 

o 

- 

t- 

c 

w 

w 

« 

o 

u 

S3 

«tf] 

r 

O 

w 

H 

2; 

□G 

C 

c 

o 

C\| 

H 

o 

ft 

H 

W 

iH 

i-l 

Pd 

< 

f3 

C 

£ 

K 

EH 
<! 

^ 

S3 

EH 

K 

w 

W 

o 

S3 

M 

W 

M 

U 

«5 

S3 

1—1 

O 

X 

£ 

o 

W 

3C 

^       QO       Cg       CO       O 


$»      ^  ^  ^ 

cp.5      CO      t^      O      tJH       t^      t-J 
t—t       i— I      t-1       <M 


^*     ^  ^  ^  ^ 

~h    oi     n     t^     O     <M     o     t~-     o 

wJ=  tH       rH       rH       t-I       CI 


(MTt<COGOOC\I-HHCOOOO 


vP»  \N 


CO-tfCOt-CT.      OCvlCOLOCOOOCii-l 


.5^^^  ^^^  ^^^t  ^^^  ^^'^ 

P  THCOCOCOT^LtCOiOt^OOOiOiOrHCMCvlCOTtHir: 


00  £  rH!H<M<MC0      0?-"^T^L0O<0<0t^t^0000CSCiO 


.g^!^^  ^^1^  ^^^  ^^^  ^^^ 

'g  rH       r— I»Hi— |CQ<?aCJ(MCi0CCC0r0'*Tt<Tt<r^LO 


02 

THC^CO^LOCOt^OOCiOrHCqCOT^lOtOtr-OOOiO 

iH      iH      tH     tH     iH      r-t      tH      rH      rH      r-t      Oil 


The  commonest  failing  of  an  alfalfa  grower  is  to  add  too  much  irri- 
gation water  and  by  referring  to  the  table  on  page  8  he  can  easily 
determine  in  acre-inches  the  approximate  amount  of  water  he  is 
adding. 

This  table  is  presented  to  enable  the  man  who  knows  the  size 
of  the  irrigation  head,  and  the  time  required  to  irrigate  an  acre,  to 
readily  determine  in  terms  of  acre  inches,  the  amount  of  water  he  is 
using  upon  his  land.  For  example,  if  the  head  is  ten  second  feet 
and  the  land  is  irrigated  at  the  rate  of  one  acre  per  half  hour  then 
it  can  be  ascertained  easily  from  the  table  that  about  five  acre  inches 
of  water  are  being  added.  Or,  if  the  size  of  the  irrigation  head  is 
known  and  the  farmer  decides  that  he  wants  to  add  five  acre  inches 
of  water,  then  he  can  readily  determine  from  the  table  the  time 
required  to  irrigate  an  acre.  For  example,  if  the  irrigation  head  is 
five  second  feet  then  he  can  see  from  the  table  he  will  need  to  irrigate 
at  the  rate  of  one  acre  per  hour  to  give  him  five  acre  inches  of  water. 
Or,  if  the  head  is  twenty  second  feet,  then  he  will  need  to  irrigate 
at  the  rate  of  one  acre  per  quarter  of  an  hour  (fifteen  minutes)  in 
order  to  add  five  acre  inches  of  water. 

A  fine,  sandy  loam  soil  requires  about  nine-tenths  of  an  acre  inch 
of  water  to  wet  the  soil  to  a  depth  of  one  foot.  The  heavier  soils 
would  require  a  little  less  than  this,  while  the  sandier  soils  will  require 
a  little  more.  When  allowance  is  made  for  soaking  up  lateral  ditches, 
losses  by  seepage  through  boxes,  etc.,  the  farmer  might  roughly  figure 
that  it  requires  about  one  acre  inch  of  water  to  wet  the  soil  one  foot 
in  depth. 

FERTILIZATION  AND  RENOVATION 
Most  of  our  California  soils  are  well  supplied  with  the  mineral 
plant  food  necessary  for  success  with  alfalfa,  but  in  many  of  these 
soils  there  is  a  deficiency  of  humus  or  decomposing  organic  matter.  In 
this  case  the  deficiency  can  be  supplied  by  growing  a  green  manure 
crop  on  the  land,  and  plowing  it  under  before  seeding  to  alfalfa.  The 
character  of  the  green  manure  crop  will  vary  with  the  local  climatic 
conditions,  though  for  most  of  the  state  the  best  results  can  probably 
be  secured  by  the  use  of  rye,  seeding  it  in  the  fall  at  the  rate  of  about 
eighty  pounds  per  acre. 

When  sufficient  quantities  of  barnyard  manure  are  available  it  is 
to  be  recommended  rather  than  green  manure  crops.      To  use  barn- 


10 

yard  manure  to  the  best  advantage  it  should  be  scattered  with  a 
manure  spreader  at  the  rate  of  about  ten  tons  per  acre  and  plowed 
under.  When  plowing-  under  either  barnyard  or  green  manure,  the 
soil  should  be  thoroughly  settled  and  firmed  around  the  material  that 
is  plowed  under  before  seeding,  or  it  might  be  firmed  by  using  a  heavy 
corrugated  roller  immediately  after  seeding. 

After  the  first  year  good  results  can  usually  be  secured  by  using 
some  gypsum  (land  plaster)  or  superphosphate  (soluble  phosphate). 
This  is  especially  true -of  the  sandier  and  shallower  soils  such  as  char- 
acterize a  good  deal  of  the  east  side  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley.  The 
most  approved  method  of  using  either  of  these  materials  is  to  apply 
them  at  the  rate  of  from  250  to  300  pounds  per  acre  during  the  dor- 
mant period.  The  second  application  of  about  200  pounds  per  acre 
is  sometimes  added  with  good  results  just  after  the  third  cutting. 
The  question  often  arises  as  to  whether  superphosphate  or  gypsum 
should  be  used.  Generally  speaking,  the  results  obtained  from  the 
use  of  these  two  materials  will  probably  not  differ  greatly  so  far  as 
increased  yield  is  concerned,  but  excessive  use  of  gypsum  is  not  recom- 
mended. Where  one  or  the  other  of  these  materials  is  used  once  or 
twice  each  year  superphosphate  should  be  used  every  second  or  third 
year. 

Barnyard  manure  is  the  best  fertilizer  for  alfalfa  and  should  be 
carefully  preserved  and  used.  It  brings  good  results  when  plowed 
under  before  seeding  and  also  is  very  valuable  to  use  as  a  top  dressing. 
When  used  in  this  way  it  should  be  applied  upon  the  alfalfa  with  a 
manure  spreader  during  the  dormant  period. 

Alfalfa  should  be  thoroughly  renovated  during  the  dormant  season 
each  year.  This  will  loosen  the  top  soil,  and  afford  good  aeration 
which  is  essential  to  best  results  with  alfalfa.  Renovation  will  also 
put  the  soil  in  better  shape  to  absorb  and  hold  moisture.  The  aim 
to  be  accomplished  when  renovating  alfalfa  is  to  stir  the  soil  as  much 
as  possible  and  do  the  least  damage  to  the  alfalfa  crowns.  An  ordi- 
nary spring-tooth  renovator  made  on  the  order  of  a  spring-tooth 
harrow  is  probably  the  oest  tool  for  most  conditions  but  the  cutaway 
disk  harrow  or  the  ordinal  spring-tooth  harrow  can  be  used. 

TIME  OF  CUTTING 
Alfalfa  should  not  be  allowed  to  become  too  mature  before  cutting 
as  when  this  occurs  there  is  sure  to  be  considerable  leaf  dropping  and 


11 

loss  of  food  value.  There  are  two  good  rules  to  follow  in  determining 
the  time  to  cut.  The  first,  and  a  fairly  good  one,  is  to  cut  when  the 
plant  is  about  one-tenth  in  bloom.  The  second  and  perhaps  the  more 
reliable,  is  to  cut  when  new  growth  begins  to  appear  at  the  crown 
of  the  plant.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  alfalfa  plant  grows 
by  adding  on  the  tip,  and  if  this  growing  tip  is  cut  off  it  sets  the 
plant  back,  to  the  extent  that  it  must  form  a  new  growing  tip,  before 
growth  can  be  continued. 

In  order  to  secure  good  alfalfa  hay  great  care  should  be  exercised 
in  making  and  curing  to  prevent  the  loss  of  leaves  and  excessive 
bleaching  and  drying  by  the  sun.  In  the  interior  valleys  alfalfa  hay 
should  usually  be  raked  the  same  day  that  it  is  mowed  and  shocked 
the  following  day.  During  the  first  and  last  cuttings  it  might  be 
necessary*  to  allow  it  to  cure  a  little  longer  in  the  swath,  but  in  all 
cases  it  should  be  placed  in  the  shocks  before  the  leaves  have  become 
dry  and  brittle.  The  hay  should  be  hauled  and  stacked  just  as  soon 
as  it  has  cured  enough  in  the  shocks  so  that  it  will  not  heat. 

Finally,  the  alfalfa  planter  should  remember  that  he  is  dealing 
with  a  plant  of  high  food  value,  capable  of  being  used  as  a  ration 
for  all  farm  animals,  and  a  plant  that  will  under  the  best  conditions 
continue  to  produce  well  a  generation  or  longer.  He  should,  there- 
fore, spare  no  pains  in  getting  the  best  results.  Proper  care  at  all 
points  will  accomplish  this. 


STATION  PUBLICATIONS   AVAILABLE   FOR   FREE   DISTRIBUTION 


REPORTS 

1897.      Resistant  Vines,   their  Selection,   Adaptation,   and  Grafting.      Appendix  to  Viticultural 
Report  for  1896. 

1902.  Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment   Station  for   1898-1901. 

1903.  Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  for   1901-03. 

1904.  Twenty-second  Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment   Station  for    1903-04. 

1914.      Report  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  and  the  Agricultural   Experiment   Station,    July, 

1913-June,    1914. 
19*15.      Report  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  and  the  Agricultural   Experiment   Station,    Julv, 

1914-^Tune,    1915. 

1916.  Report  of  the  College  of  Agriculture   and  the  Agricultural   Experiment   Station,    July, 

1915-June,    1916. 

1917.  Report  of  the  College   of  Agriculture   and  the   Agricultural    Experiment   Station,    July, 

1916— June,    1917. 

BULLETINS 


No. 

230. 
241. 
242. 
246. 
248. 

249. 
250. 
251. 


252. 
253. 

255. 
257. 
261. 

262. 

263. 
264. 
265. 
266. 

267. 
268. 


No. 

113. 
114. 
115. 
121. 

124. 
126. 
127. 
128. 
129. 
131. 
133. 
134. 
135. 
136. 
137. 
138. 
139. 


140. 

141. 

142. 

143. 

144. 
145. 

147. 
148. 
150. 
151. 


No. 

Enological  Investigations.  270. 
Vine  Pruning  in  California,  Part  I. 
Humus  in  California  Soils. 

Vine  Pruning  in  California,  Part  II.  271. 

The  Economic  Value  of  Pacific  Coast  272. 

Kelps.  273. 
Stock-Poisoning  Plants  of  California. 

The  Loquat.  274. 
Utilization  of  the  Nitrogen  and  Organic 

Matter    in    Septic    and    Imhoff    Tank  275. 

Sludges. 

Deterioration  of  Lumber.  276. 

Irrigation   and   Soil   Conditions   in   the  277. 

Sierra  Nevada  Foothills,  California.  278. 

The   Citricola    Scale.  279. 

New  Dosage  Tables.  280. 
Melaxuma    of    the    Walnut,     "Juglans 

regia."  281. 
Citrus   Diseases   of   Florida   and   Cuba 

Compared  with  Those  of  California.  282. 
Size  Grade  for  Ripe  Olives. 

The  Calibration  of  the  Leakage  Meter.  283. 

Cottony  Rot  of  Lemons  in  California.  284. 

A  Spotting  of  Citrus  Fruits  Due  to  the  285. 

Action  of  Oil  Liberated  from  the  Rind.  286. 

Experiments  with  Stocks  for  Citrus.  287. 
Growing  and  Grafting  Olive  Seedlings. 

CIRCULARS 
No. 
152. 


Correspondence  Courses  in  Agriculture. 

Increasing  the  Duty  of  Water. 

Grafting  Vinifera  Vineyards. 

Some  Things  the  Prospective  Settler 
Should  Know. 

Alfalfa   Silage  for  Fattening  Steers. 

Spraying  for  the  Grape  Leaf  Hopper. 

House  Fumigation. 

Insecticide  Formulas. 

The  Control  of  Citrus  Insects. 

Spraying  for  Control  of  Walnut  Aphis. 

County  Farm  Adviser. 

Control  of  Raisin   Insects. 

Official  Tests  of  Dairy  Cows. 

Melilotus  Indica. 

Wood  Decay  in  Orchard  Trees. 

The  Silo  in  California  Agriculture. 

The  Generation  of  Hydrocyanic  Acid 
Gas  in  Fumigation  by  Portable  Ma- 
chines. 

The  Practical  Application  of  Improved 
Methods  of  Fermentation  in  Califor- 
nia Wineries  during  1913  and  1914. 

Standard  Insecticides  and  Fungicides 
versus  Secret  Preparations. 

Practical  and  Inexpensive  Poultry  Ap- 
pliances. 

Control  of  Grasshoppers  in  Imperial 
Valley. 

Oidium  or  Powderv  Mildew  of  the  Vine. 

Suegestions  to  Poultrymen  concerning 
Chicken  Pox. 

Tomato   Growing  in   California. 

"Lungworms." 

Round  Worms   in   Poultrv. 

Feeding  and  Management  of  Hogs. 


153. 

154. 

155. 
156. 
157. 
158. 
160. 
161. 
162. 

164. 
165. 

166. 
167. 
168. 

169. 
170. 

171. 
172. 
173. 

174. 
175. 


A  Comparison  of  Annual  Cropping,  Bi- 
ennial Cropping,  and  Green  Manures 
on  the  Yield  of  Wheat. 

Feeding  Dairy  Calves  in  California. 

Commercial  Fertilizers. 

Preliminary  Report  on  Kearney  Vine- 
yard Experimental  Drain. 

The  Common  Honey  Bee  as  an  Agent 
in   Prune   Pollination. 

The  Cultivation  of  Belladonna  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  Pomegranate. 

Sudan  Grass. 

Grain   Sorghums. 

Irrigation  of  Rice  in  California. 

Irrigation  of  Alfalfa  in  the  Sacramento 
Valley. 

Control  of  the  Pocket  Gophers  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

Trials  with  California  Silage  Crops  for 
Dairy  Cows. 

The  Olive  Insects  of  California. 

Irrigation  of  Alfalfa  in  Imperial  Valley. 

The  Milch  Goat  in  California. 

Commercial  Fertilizers. 

Vinegar  from   Waste   Fruits. 


Some  Observations  on  the  Bulk  Hand- 
ling of  Grain  in  California. 
Announcement  of  the  California   State 

Dairy  Cow  Competition,    1916-18. 
Irrigation    Practice   in   Growing   Small 

Fruits  in  California. 
Bovine  Tuberculosis. 
How  to  Operate  an  Incubator. 
Control  of  the  Pear  Scab. 
Home  and  Farm  Canning. 
Lettuce    Growing   in    California. 
Potatoes  in   California. 
White    Diarrhoea    and    Coccidiosis    of 

Chicks. 
Small  Fruit  Culture  in  California. 
Fundamentals    of    Sugar    Beet    under 

California  Conditions. 
The  County  Farm  Bureau. 
Feeding  Stuffs  of  Minor  Importance. 
Spraying  for  the  Control  of  Wild  Morn- 

ing-Glory  within  the  Fog  Belt. 
1918  Grain  Crop. 
Fertilizing  California  Soils  for  the  1918 

Crop. 
The  Fertilization  of  Citrus. 
Wheat  Culture. 
The    Construction    of    the    Wood-Hoop 

Silo. 
Farm  Drainage  Methods. 
Progress  Report  on  the  Marketing  and 

Distribution    of    Milk. 
Hog      Cholera      Prevention      and      the 

Serum    Treatment. 
Grain    Sorghum    Seed. 
The    Packing   of    Apples    in    California. 


